OFJ97 Field Journal from Dave Atkinson - 3/19/97

Does Jupiter look any different to you now? I am sitting on a plane somewhere
over the North Atlantic flying to a Cassini meeting in Cannes, France. Looking
out the window I see the planet Jupiter rising in the constellation Capricorn
in the predawn sky, and I notice that it doesn't quite look the same to
me anymore. Now, when it shines in the night sky, a little of its light
comes from Earth. Once the Galileo probe's job was done, its final act was
to become part of the planet it was sent to explore. Some of the light from
Jupiter now comes from atoms and molecules that started in the probe instruments
and electronics on Earth. When I look at Jupiter, I know that it has now
and forever a new moon, one that we built at home here on Earth.

When we look to the start we see from where we came. When we look to
the planets we see worlds that were born and grew up with us. Now, when
we look at Jupiter we see our past and, perhaps, some of our future. Part
of Jupiter is us. I don't think I'll ever look at Jupiter quite the same
way again.